Bernie Logue

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Bernie Logue joined the Red Sox staff at the start of their 2004 World Series championship season as the head chef in the team's home clubhouse. He held the position until his untimely death on May 7, 2005.

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Overview

Logue, a native of West Roxbury, Massahusetts, graduated from Catholic Memorial High School in his hometown and earned a business degree from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. He lived in Dedham, Massachusetts during his tenure with the Red Sox.

Bernie began working at Fenway after the team built a dining lounge next to the clubhouse as part of ongoing renovations at the historic park. "His job was to man that lounge," said Joe Cochran, Red Sox director of clubhouse operations. "It's like that neighborhood diner you go to every day. You talk to the guy behind the counter flipping your eggs. Bernie was perfect for this. He did a great job. He took initiative on his own."

Players and staff held Logue's culinary skills and friendship in such high regard that he accompanied the team to Fort Myers for Spring Training in 2005.

On Saturday, May 7, the Red Sox' game against the Seattle Mariners was rained out. Logue was invited to join about 20 players and other members of the Fenway Park clubhouse staff, who attended the Boston Celtics game against the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference first round playoffs. The group filled two suites at the Fleet Center.

At 1:00 AM, several hours after the Celtics lost the game, Logue fell from the sixth floor of the Government Center Garage on Sudbury Street. According to the Boston Herald, Logue was with assistant equipment manager Edward "Pookie" Jackson at the time. Jackson, after seeing Logue fall, went to the ground floor of the garage to attempt to help Logue, but medical responders pronounced him dead at the scene. He was 30. Police found no signs of foul play and determined the fall was accidental.

The rest of the players and staff were stunned to learn of Logue's death when they arrived at Fenway the next morning. The Red Sox observed a moment of silence in his memory before the team played a doubleheader against the Mariners. David Ortiz wore the message "RIP BL" on his back of his batting helmet.

Bernie's wake was held May 11 in West Roxbury. To allow Logue's clubhouse colleagues to attend the services, nine members of the Red Sox grounds crew packed up the team's equipment for the forthcoming West Coast road trip. Following their 6-5 win over the Oakland Athletics, players and staff boarded three buses and rode to the funeral home. They made a solemn procession, each carrying a single rose and placing it atop Logue's casket. They also presented his family with a signed, framed team jersey bearing Bernie's name and the number 1. The buses then carried the team to Logan International Airport where they boarded a flight to Seattle.

Logue's funeral was held the morning of May 12 at 9 a.m. at St. Theresa Church in West Roxbury. He was buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery in West Roxbury. Bernie was survived by his parents, Daniel & Phyllis (Cunnea) Logue, and his sister, Elaine Logue. The family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to the Jimmy Fund.

On September 7, 2005, the Red Sox presented a 2004 World Series ring to Bernie's family, and also unveiled a chef's jacket bearing his name that will be displayed in perpetuity in the players' dining room.

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Quotes

A Red Sox jersey signed by every member of the team is carried by a funeral home employee during services for Bernie Logue on May 12, 2005.
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A Red Sox jersey signed by every member of the team is carried by a funeral home employee during services for Bernie Logue on May 12, 2005.

"When something like this happens, you hear what a great person he was. But Bernie truly was a tremendous human being and he is part of our family. This kid was awesome. He came in, quit an office job, probably took a huge pay cut, but this was the greatest thing he enjoyed, just coming here and helping out. It's a tremendous shock to all of us. If we were playing, this probably wouldn't have happened. We got rained out and we all went to the Celtics game. It makes you wonder. It's been a tough day for us as a team. There are a lot of heavy hearts in there. Everyone is a little shocked from what's been going on this morning." -- Kevin Millar, 5/8/2005

"If players had children, they felt comfortable leaving them with Bernie. I really can't say more than enough good things about this kid."I really can't say enough good things about this kid. That room down there, that's our little world down there, and we were thrown a curveball today. Bernie was perfect for it. He fit right into that whole environment. He did a great job." -- Joe Cochran, Red Sox director of clubhouse operations.

"In a short time, Bernie had become a very popular figure in our clubhouse. He was a very kind person who always had a smile on his face." -- Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein

"What we do is so important to us, but when real life steps in and kind of gets in the way, I don't think I have a very good answer" -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona

"He was a wonderful, helpful, caring human being, whom we all miss very much," -- Rose Marie Curran, Bernie's cousin.

"He was sober, and it really was just a tragic accident. (He was a friend of a friend whom I talked to last night.) The details are actually fairly heart-wrenching, but they are none of anyone's business, least of all ours." -- SoSH poster johnnywayback

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References

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